Work-jogging attachments for sewing machines



J. P. ENOS 2,820,425

' WORK-JOGGING ATTACHMENTS FOR SEWING MACHINES Jan. 21, 1958 Filed April 26, 1955 INVENTOR. John P. Enos BY WXTTORNEY WITNESS United States Patent WORK-JOGGING ATTACHMENTS FOR SEWING MACHINES John P. Enos, Union, N. J., assignor to The Singer Mannfacturing Company, Elizabeth, N. 1., a corporation of New Jersey Application April 26, 1955, Serial No. 503,968

6 Claims. (Cl. 112-160) This invention relates to an ornamental work-jogging attachment for a sewing machine and, more particularly, to a work-jogging attachment in which the ornamental pattern of work-jogging movement is controlled by a selected one of a set of readily interchangeable pattern cams.

Ari ornamental work-jogging attachment of the above character may be readied in a moment to produce any one of a wide variety of patterns of work-jogging movement. The present attachment is especially suited for effecting the production of so-called satin stitches when producing any one of the wide variety of ornamental stitch patterns. By satin stitches is meant stitches which are spaced very closely and evenly along the line of the seam. In the formation of satin stitching, the feed of the work along the line of the seam is of critical importance since any failure to feed the required small amount between each stitch or any unevenness of the feed will disrupt the ornamental stitch pattern and noticeably detract from the desired appearance of the finished product.

In my copending U. S. patent application No. 461,149, filed October 8, 1954, there is disclosed an ornamental work-jogging attachment with a readily interchangeable pattern cam, which attachment is designed to depend for advancement of the work between successive stitches upon the work-feeding mechanism of the sewing machine to which it is applied. The dependence of this prior construction upon the feeding mechanism of the sewing machine may present several disadvantages.

Bearing in mind that both the work-jogging and workfeeding movements must occur while the needle is out of the fabric, it will be appreciated that when the sewing machine work-feeding mechanism is utilized, as with prior attachments, the attachment must jog the work within the very short and critical time period after the needle leaves the work and before the feed-dog is raised. With improper timing, the work would be jogged across the roughened feed-dog of the sewing machine giving rise to interference therebetween.

Most work-jogging attachments, as a matter of practice, must be adapted for use with a variety of models of sewing machines of which the characteristics of the workfeeding mechanism may vary considerably. The attachment manufacturer in many instances, therefore, has been unable to insure that proper correlation of work-jogging and work-feeding motion will be attained when his attachment is put to use.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved work-feeding mechanism carried by an ornamental work jogging attachment, the work-jogging movement of which is controlled by a selected one of a set of readily interchangeable pattern cams.

It is also an object of this invention to provide feed regulating devices for a work-jogging attachment feeding mechanism of the above character whereby a fineadjustment of the work-feed may be attained, particularly within the range of small stitch lengths.

2,820,425 Patented Jan. 21, 1958 With the above and other objects and advantages in view, as will hereinafter appear, this invention comprises the devices, combinations, and arrangements of parts hereinatter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings of a preferred embodiment in which;

Fig. l is a top plan view of an ornamental workogging attachment with the readily interchangeable pattern cam illustrated in phantom lines and having the workfeeding mechanism of my invention applied thereto;

big. 2 is a right side elevational view of the attachment of Fig. 1 with the pattern cam illustrated in crosssection; and

Fig. 3 is a left side elevational view of the attachment of Fig. l.

lsererring to the drawings, the work-jogging and interchangeable pattern cam tealures of the attachment of this invention are similar to those disclosed in my abovereterenced copending application Serial No. 461,149, to which reference may be had for a detailed description thereof. 1he attachment is constructed upon a frame comprising a hat base plate 10 from the forward portion of which extend spaced upstanding cars 11 and 12 between which is secured, as by a met 13, a metal block 14 which 18 slotted at 1: forwardly of the ears 11 and 15 to accommodate the lower extremity of a sewing machine presser-oar 16. A Knurled fastening screw 17 of the type usually employed to secure a presser-toot to the presser-bar, serves to maintain the block 14, and hence t e attachment trame, securely in place on the presserbar.

rower to drive the work-jogging and work-feeding instrumentalitles of this attachment is derived from the reciprocation of a sewing machine needle-bar 15 by means or an actuating lever 19 carried by a tulcrum pin 20 ournaled in the upstanding ears 11 and 12 of the attachment frame. we actuating lever 19 is bifurcated at its free extremity and is disposed to embrace a cylindrical proection 21 of a conventional needle-clamp 22 into which pro ection a thumb screw 26 is threaded so as to secure a needle A4 to the extremity of the needle-bar.

'1he actuating lever 19 is formed with a downwardly extending arm 25 formed at its extremity with an outturned lug 26 which is embraced by spaced upwardly pro ectmg lingers 21-27 of a slidable pawl carrier 28 which is conhned to move longitudinally upon the attachment frame oy means of a pair of pins 29, 29 extending upwardly from the base plate 10 of the frame and fitted into longitudinally arranged slots 30, 30 formed in the pawl carrier 26. alecureo on the pawl carrier by a pivot pin 31 is a pawl 32 which is biased by means of a wire spring 33 111 a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in l ig. t, and into operative relation with the toothed periphery of a ratchet wheel 34 ournaled for rotation on a stud shaft 35 which is secured on a substantially vertical axis in the base plate 10 of the attachment frame. Reciprocatton of the pawl carrier by the actuating lever 19 in response to movement of the needle-bar will, therefore, cause the pawl 32 to index one tooth of the ratchet wheel during each cycle of needle reciprocation.

the ratchet wheel 54 is preferably formed with an integral upstanding cylindrical hub portion 36 formed at its free upper extremity with a pair of diametrically opposed notches 3737 adapted to be engaged by a pair of mating lugs 38-38 provided within a ratchet hub accommodating bore 39 formed in an interchangeable pattern cam 40. The pattern cam is preferably formed with a fluted projection 41 constituting a handle to facilitate axial movement of the cam into and out of operative rotationally interlocked relation with the ratchet wheel hub.

The bottom face of the pattern cam is formed with a cam groove 42 which is tracked by a roller follower 43 carried on an upstanding pin 44 fixed at the rear extremity of a shank member 45 which is formed at its forward extremity with a work-jogging foot 46. Since the cam follower roller 43 and the ratchet wheel hub 36 are disposed on substantially parallel axes, bodily movement of the pattern cam to engage or disengage the ratchet wheel hub will simultaneously eflect engagement or disengagement, respectively, of the cam follower with the cam. A different pattern cam may be substituted, therefore, simply by grasping and removing the cam that is in place and then placing any selected cam over the ratchet wheel hub and the cam follower.

The shank member 45 of the work-jogging foot is slotted lengthwise, as at 47, loosely to embrace a fulcrum pin 48 carried by a slide bracket 49. The slide bracket is confined for movement lengthwise of the attachment frame by means of the fulcrum pin 48 which passes through a slot 50 lengthwise of the attachment frame base, and by means of a rivet 51 which is carried by the frame base and passes through a slot 52 formed in the slide bracket. A finger grip 53 is formed on the upturned portion 54 of the slide bracket so that the position of the fulcrum pin 48 may be adjusted toward or away from the cam follower roller 43 thus to determine the amplitude of lateral movement of the work-jogging foot in response to movement of the cam follower. The slide bracket may be secured with respect to the attachment frame in any selected position of adjustment by means of a clamp screw 55 which passes through a slot 56 formed lengthwise in the upturned portion of the slide bracket, through a spacing washer 57, and is threaded into the upstanding car 12 of the attachment frame. The work-jogging foot 46 is constrained against movement lengthwise of the attachment frame by means of a constraining link 58 pivoted at one extremity on the rivet 51 fixed in the attachment frame, and pivoted by a screw 59 at its opposite extremity to the shank member 45.

The work-jogging foot 46 is formed transversely with a needle-accommodating slot 60 and with a plurality of feed slots 61-61 disposed substantially lengthwise of the work-jogging foot and longitudinally of the attachment frame. Extending into the slots 61-61 are a plurality of toothed dogs 62-62 depending from a workfeeding plate 63 which overlies the work-jogging foot.

The work-feeding plate is formed with a rearwardly and upwardly inclined extension 64 which is pivoted by the screw 65 to one extremity of a feed-bar 66 slidably mounted on the attachment frame by means of a pair of slots 67-67 formed therein and a pair of rivets 68-68 secured in the upwardly extending frame car 12. At the opposite extremity, the feed-bar carries an adjustable stitch length regulating member 69 formed with an inturned lug 70 disposed in the path of one upturned extremity 71 of a feed advance actuating lever 72 which is pivoted, as at 73, on the attachment frame base 10 and is formed with an opposite upturned extremity 74 operatively engaged between spaced lugs 75-75 formed on the pawl carrier 28.

Depending from the feed-bar 66 is a notched finger 76 which accommodates one extremity of a coil spring 77 anchored at its opposite extremity in the upstanding car 12 of the attachment frame. The spring 77 biases the feed-bar forwardly and in the operation of the attachment serves to impart the return stroke to the feeddogs, the feed advance stroke being driven in a positive manner from the pawl carrier 28 through the feed advance actuating lever 72, the stitch length regulating member 69 and the feed-bar 66.

The stitch length regulating member 69 is slotted, as at 78, to accommodate a rivet 79 fixed in the feed-bar and a clamp screw 80 threaded into the feed-bar. An outturned finger grip 81 is formed on member 69 to facilitate adjustment of the member with respect to the feedbar, any selected position of which may be maintained by the clamp screw 80. It will be understood that the feed advance actuating lever 72 partakes of oscillation of substantially constant amplitude during operation of the attachment, and that adjustment of the stitch length regulator toward the work-feeding plate will increase the stitch length by bringing the inturned lug 70 of the stitch length regulator into engagement with the upturned extremity 71 of the feed advance actuating lever over an increased portion of its path of travel.

In order to insure that the feed-dogs 62-62 grip and advance the work fabrics in a positive manner, a feed lowering lever 82 is pivoted on the attachment frame preferably on the head of the rivet 13 by which the presser-bar accommodating block 14 is secured to the attachment frame. The lever 82 takes the form of a bell crank having a forwardly extending arm 83 disposed to overlie the work-feeding plate 63 and an upwardly extending arm 84 on which is journaled a roller 85 adapted to play over a projecting cam surface 86 formed on the attachment actuating lever 19.

The cam surface 86 is preferably arranged so as to move into engagement with the roller 85 during upward movement of the needle-bar and after the needle has been withdrawn from the work fabric. Thus, during the upstroke of the needle-bar while the pawl carrier 28 is being shifted forwardly by the actuating lever 19 and the feed-bar is being advanced by the feed advance lever 72, the forwardly extending arm 83 of the feed lowering lever 82 will be lowered so as to engage and depress the work-feeding plate 63 to force the toothed feed-dogs into positive engagement with the work fabric. On the downstroke of the needle-bar, the cam surface 86 will be shifted out of engagement with the roller 85, thus freeing the work-feeding plate 63. Since the feeddog teeth are inclined rearwardly, as is illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3, the coil spring 77 in returning the feedbar will cause the feed-dogs to ride upwardly over the work fabrics.

The attachment of the present invention is applied to a sewing machine as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In operation, the work-feeding mechanism of the sewing machine is preferably rendered ineffective. In those sewing machines equipped with a feed throw-out device, such as are well known in the art, the attachment may be operated satisfactorily when the work fabric is directed between the work-jogging foot 46 of the attachment and the customary throat-plate of the sewing machine. With sewing machines that do not have feed throw-out devices, however, it is advisable that a feed cover-plate be utilized to render the sewing machine work-feeding mechanism ineffective. Reference is made to my U. S. Patent No. 2,593,864, April 22, 1952, relating to a feed cover-plate which may be utilized in this capacity with the attachment of the present invention.

The present invention thus provides an attachment capable of performing all of the work fabric manipulation necessary to produce continuous lines of ornamental stitching, including means for advancing the work fabric in the line of seam formation between successive stitches and means for jogging the work fabric laterally of the line of seam formation in any one of a wide variety of repetitive patterns.

The manner in which the work-feeding mechanism of this invention is applied to the ornamental work-jogging attachment is such that the ready interchangeability of the pattern cam is unimpaired. The advantages of the work-feeding mechanism carried by the attachment are thus obtained without sacrifice of the ornamental workjogging qualities of the attachment.

Having thus described the nature of the invention, what I claim herein is:

1. In a sewing machine work-jogging attachment an attachment frame adapted to be secured to the sewing machine, a laterally movable work-jogging member can ried by said attachment frame, a work-feeding member slidably confined for movement longitudinally on said work-jogging member, a pattern cam arranged to shift said work-jogging member, mechanism carried by said attachment frame and actuated by said sewing machine for turning said pattern cam, a separable driving connection between said pattern cam and said mechanism for turning said pattern cam, a cam follower carried by said work-jogging member, complemental separable interengaging means on said pattern cam and on said cam follower being disposed relatively to said separable driving connection to accommodate bodily movement of said pattern cam into or out of operative engagement simultaneously with both said mechanism for turning said pattern cam and with said cam follower, and a member driven by said pattern cam actuating mechanism and operatively connected to shift said work-feeding member.

2. In a sewing machine work-jogging attachment an attachment frame adapted to be secured to the sewing machine, a laterally movable work-jogging member carried by said attachment frame, a work-feeding member slidably confined for movement longitudinally with respect to said Work-jogging member, a pattern cam arranged to shift said work-jogging member, mechanism carried by said attachment frame and actuated by said sewing machine for turning said pattern cam including a cam-accommodating shaft, a cam follower member carried by said work-jogging member and disposed substantially parallel to said cam-accommodating shaft, said cam-accommodating shaft and said cam follower member each being formed with a free extremity extending in the same direction so as to accommodate axial movement of said pattern carn into or out of operative engagement therewith simultaneously and a feed actuating member driven by said pattern cam actuating mechanism and operatively connected to shift said work-feeding member in timed relation with said work-jogging member.

3. In a sewing machine work-jogging attachment, an attachment frame adapted to be secured to the sewing machine, a work-jogging member pivotally supported with respect to said attachment frame and disposed for movement substantially laterally thereof, a work feed-dog slidably confined on said work-jogging member for movement longitudinally with respect to said attachment frame, a cam follower carried on said work-jogging member, a pattern cam arranged to shift said cam follower, mechanism actuated by said sewing machine for turning said pattern cam including a ratchet wheel rotatably journaled in said attachment frame on an axis substantially parallel to the pivotal axis of said work-jogging member, pattern cam accommodating means carried coaxially on said ratchet wheel at one side thereof, a pawl arranged to operate said ratchet wheel, a pawl carrier slidably supported on said attachment frame and disposed at the side of said ratchet wheel opposite said pattern cam accommodating means, and a feed-bar supported for movement 1ongitudinally on said attachment frame, said feed-bar being operatively connected at one extremity to said feed-dog, and a lever pivoted on said attachment frame and arranged to provide a driving connection between said pawl carrier and said feed-bar.

4. In a sewing machine work-jogging attachment having a frame, a laterally shiftable work-jogging foot carried by said frame, a longitudinally shiftable feed-dog slidably confined on said work-jogging foot, a ratchet-operated pattern cam operatively connected to shift said work-jogging foot, and a vibratory pawl carrier adapted to be actuated by said sewing machine for operating said ratchet, a longitudinally shiftable feed-bar carried on said attachment frame, feed-bar actuating connections operatively associated with said pawl carrier, said feed-bar actuating connections having a lost-motion connection with said feed-bar, and stitch length regulating means for said feedbar for controlling the amount of lost-motion between said feed-bar and said feed-bar actuating connections.

5. In a sewing machine work-jogging attachment having a frame, a laterally shiftable work-jogging foot carried by said frame, a longitudinally shiftable feed-dog slidably confined on said work-jogging foot, a ratchet-operated pattern cam operatively connected to shift said work-jogging foot, and a vibratory pawl carrier adapted to be actuated by said sewing machine for operating said ratchet, a longitudinally shiftable feed-bar carried on said attachment frame, operative connections between said feed-bar and said pawl carrier including a lost-motion connection, and a stitch length regulating member carried by one of said operatively connected parts for controlling the amount of lost-motion between said feed-bar and said pawl carrier.

6. In a sewing machine work-jogging attachment having a frame, a laterally shiftable work-jogging foot carried by said frame, a longitudinally shiftable feed-dog slidably confined on said work-joggingv foot, a ratchet-operated pattern cam operatively connected to shift said work-jogging foot, and a vibratory pawl carrier adapted to be actuated by said sewing machine for operating said ratchet, a longitudinally shiftable feed-bar carried on said attachment frame, an operable connection between said feedbar and said feed-dog and a driving connection between said feed-bar and said pawl carrier comprising, a feed actuating lever pivoted on said attachment frame and operatively associated at one extremity with said pawl carrier, a stitch length adjusting member slidable longitudinally on said feed-bar, said stitch length adjusting member being disposed to extend into the path of the opposite extremity of said feed actuating lever, and means under control of the sewing machine operator for securing said stitch length adjusting member in a selected position longitudinally of said feed-bar.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,893,912 Spaulding Jan. 10, 1933 2,652,015 Utz Sept. 15, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 74,400 Netherlands Apr. 15, 1954 

